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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
thechronicleonline.com
Serving Columbia County since 1881
Finding local businesses just got easier WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
For those who are interested in finding and learning more about local businesses and events, the Find it Local Columbia County App has you covered. The Find it Columbia County App is a new tool that aims to be a directory for local businesses, organizations, non-profits, attractions, and events. The app was developed by Keep it Local Columbia County. Keep it Local Columbia County is a program of the Columbia Economic Team and is a small business marketing non-profit. Keep it Local Director Sierra Trass gave an interview with The Chronicle about the app and what it can offer to Columbia County residents and visitors. Why the app? The app was developed with leftover funds from a Business Oregon grant that had been secured so an online business directory could be created. “It’s kind of been a progression,” Trass said. I’ve been working for about a year and a half on making the online directory. So when that launched in May, it was like, ‘Okay, yay!’ And then the grant from Busi-
ness Oregon that made it possible actually had some extra funding, so they gave us some money to go develop an app.” Trass has been working on pulling together the app since April, and it officially launched Oct. 6. The app and the online business directory are linked, and any business, event, or organization listing added to the online directory “automatically pools into the app.” “It makes it easier, so you don’t have to tell people to put something in two spots,” Trass said. “Once people add themselves to the online directory at keepitlocalcc.com, it only takes a few hours after their listing is approved to go right in to the app. And then it updates as people want to update their listings online, and they’ll update into the app too.” According to Trass, the app is a useful tool because not only can people search for a business by name but also see listed businesses in a “map view,” which allows people to search by city or location. “It also has the ability to search by category of businesses. So if you wanted to go into the ‘shop category’ and see local boutiques you could do that,” she said. “Or if you wanted to go to the ‘taste category’ and see the farmers, or the restaurants, or the food trucks, you can search by those
is the ability to add multiple destinations that users would like to visit in a single day, and it will route a course for the user to hit each of the stops that have been selected. Building the directory
Courtesy graphic from Keep It Local
A sneak peek at what the app looks like.
categories and you can also search by city.” Examples Trass gave would be looking for food trucks in St. Helens, or art businesses in Clatskanie. She described the customization as “savvy and fun.” One feature Trass said she likes
VisitWidget created the app, and Shop Local was able to customize the colors and interface. The lion’s share of the work that Trass has been doing is populating the directory with businesses. While Trass and her team have already added around 300 listings to the directory, she hopes that locals will begin to add to the directories themselves. “The online directory and the app is meant to be populated by the local community. We try to add listings in there as much as possible, so people are represented,” Trass said. “The experts of the local businesses and local non-profits are the people that run them and serve them, so I’ve been trying to educate and energize the community to go onto the directory and either claim the listing if one’s been made or create one.” There are around 450 businesses and more than 50 local events in the directory, but Trass said she knows there are “way more than that.” If people create their listings, they can share the information they want
people to know about the business and customize it to their liking. Ever evolving
Early feedback on the app has largely been positive. Trass said that people appreciate the app’s look and have been happy with the convenience of finding local businesses and events. Some of the constructive feedback they have received has been to resolve glitches or bugs in the app. Trass said she has not yet reviewed early data on the use of the app or how many downloads they’ve had. She noted that the app is “ever evolving” as more businesses and events are added to the directory. Going forward, Trass hopes people will share and advocate for the app. “Not only local businesses themselves, but also local citizens. I think everybody has had those weekends where they’re like, ‘Okay, what am I going to be doing this weekend, it would be really nice to see what’s happening locally,’” she said. “If people know of the app, then they can say, ‘Hey, let’s go download the Find it Local Columbia County app and see what’s happening this weekend.’” Trass said she is excited about this tool and hopes it makes it easier to help find local businesses and shop locally.
ODOT budget challenges mean less roadway maintenance JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is facing significant declines in revenue and added expenses, which means Oregonians and visitors will see less maintenance along the state’s roadways in days and months ahead. ODOT manages a $6.12 billion budget that funds programs related to Oregon’s system of highways, roads and bridges; railway; public transportation services; transportation safety programs; driver and licensing; and motor regulation. Delivery and operations accounts for about two-thirds, or $4 billion, of ODOT’s 2023-2025 legislatively approved budget. The division spends its resources on maintaining the highway system, bridge and pavement preservation projects, adding capacity to highways, and bicycle/pedestrian projects among others.
We will not be able to provide the service Oregonians have come to expect. ~ Katherine Benenati, ODOT
The Chronicle reached out to ODOT Assistant Communications Director Katherine Benenati for
• You’ll spend more time waiting for roads to re-open after a crash, see lowered speed limits because of poor pavement conditions and fewer ODOT responders on the road.
come to rely on statewide and it needs structural reform.
You can learn more about our budget and regional cuts at: https:// www.oregon.gov/odot/about/pages/ transportation-funding.aspx.
Benenati: The good news is that there are plenty of options to solve this structural funding issue. One option would be to expand our payper-mile, or Road Usage Charge program. This program charges drivers per mile. It’s very similar to the gas tax in that the more you drive on the road, the more you pay to maintain and improve it. But unlike the gas tax, this program wouldn’t unintentionally subsidize higher-income drivers who are more likely to own efficient or electric vehicles. Instead, every driver would pay based only on how much they use the system. Revenue could also be raised through registration or other vehicle fees, or the gap could be filled with funding from non-transportation sources. And while the gas tax won’t last forever, increasing or indexing it for inflation would help cover the cost of maintaining the system. We are encouraged by the actions of the Oregon Legislature to address the near-term funding issue at DMV during this most recent legislative session and look forward to working with our partners to propose sustainable funding solutions
The Chronicle: What is the economic factor that is likely leading to less winter maintenance?
Courtesy photo
ODOT warns that during winter, you’ll notice more snow and ice build-up, more chain requirements, longer delays and fewer open roads.
insight into the budget challenges. The Chronicle: What is ODOT’s message to drivers about the winter maintenance that may not be available? Katherine Benenati: Let me stress, that we will still be out there. But we will not be able to provide the service Oregonians have come to expect. During winter, you’ll notice more snow and ice build-up, more chain requirements, longer delays and fewer open roads. Please plan ahead: carry chains and know how to use them, check local forecasts and forecasts for where you’re going, keep an eye on tripcheck. com. We remind travelers to do
these things every year. This winter, it will be even more critical. And it’s not just winter maintenance that will be affected. We’re already restricting maintenance recruitments, deferring some road and bridge maintenance, including pavement repair and painting as well as litter removal and graffiti cleanup, and scaling back after-hours response efforts. These cuts will affect drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and freight haulers – everyone who uses the system. • You’ll see more potholes and ruts on the road, along with more trash in medians and along highways.
Benenati: There are a few, namely declining revenues and rising costs for materials, labor and equipment. Revenue from the gas tax is on track to decline as vehicles become more efficient while the cost of doing business has increased rapidly in recent years. To balance our budget, we are scaling back maintenance and services around the state. Until the state establishes a sustainable revenue source, these cuts will only become more severe. We cannot fund maintenance or direct services by redirecting funding from other areas like our transit or electric vehicle charging programs, nor can we pull from federally funded or toll-funded construction projects like the major interstate projects planned in the Portland area. Our funding structure was established decades ago. It has failed to keep pace with the evolving needs of the multimodal infrastructure Oregonians have
The Chronicle: What solutions is ODOT pursuing or will seek to resolve the funding challenge?
See ODOT Page A2
The ‘living room of Linnton’ under new owners WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
For folks from Columbia County who commute through Linnton, the Decoy is open for business under the
Police Reports ......... A3 News and Views ...... A4 Community Calendar A4
Obituaries ................. A5 Crossword ............... A5 Classified Ads ......... A6 Legals ....................... A7 Games and Puzzles A8 Sports ..................... A9
Vol. 141, No. 45
new ownership of four county locals. Jeff and Chelsea Hamilton of St. Helens and Eric and Kerry DuBach of Warren are now the proud owners of the Decoy, known to many as the “living room of Linnton,” according to Kerry DuBach. The DuBachs and the Hamiltons were inspired to buy the restaurant when they heard longtime owners Peter and Jan Li were getting ready to retire. Eric DuBach said the Decoy was a frequent watering hole for him and his wife for over a decade. When they heard about the previous owners retiring, the Hamiltons and the DuBachs wanted to keep the restaurant in steady hands to continue their legacy. Each owner expressed that the food and the people keep people coming back time after time, and for Kerry DuBach, the restaurant has been a special place for her and her family. “This restaurant is a lot of family for a lot of people. There’s a lot of us that don’t have immediate family. So, there are people that are here every day, but also, like my son and I spent Christmas here every year,” Kerry Dubach said. “There’s so many people that this is their community.” The owners see their involvement as a continuation of everything the
Decoy has meant to the community. In their first month as owners, the reception from the community has been positive. “We haven’t brought our own twist. We want to keep things as similar as possible. The community has absolutely rallied behind us,” Chelsea Hamilton said. “Everyone that comes here, all the regulars who have been coming for 15 to 20 years, they have completely stood behind us, and supported us.” “They’re constantly telling us how much they’re behind us, and how much they want to help us succeed,” Eric DuBach said. The new owners said they have been “extremely busy” during their first month at the helm, but the things that have stood out to them have been the staff and the customers. Kerry DuBach said the staff have been “incredible.” “They are a big part of what makes that ‘Cheers of Linnton’ culture,” Kerry DuBach said. “Some have been there 10-plus years and have worked harder than ever during this transition to help us as new owners succeed. We could never have done any of this without them.”
Will Lohre / Country Media, Inc.
See DECOY Page A4
The Decoy’s new owners Chelsea and Jeff Hamilton and Eric and Kerry DuBach.